







In English we use the present simple tense to talk about facts or things that are always true, as well as things in general. Present simple is also used to talk about a repeated action such as a habit, a hobby, a daily event, a scheduled event or something that often happens.
In English we use 'do' and 'does' as auxiliary verbs in negatives and questions and we often use the present simple with adverbs of frequency such as sometimes, always, often, never, usually, rarely, and hardly ever.
Notes for use of present simple :
In the third person, ‘s’ is added to the verb form. For example;
work --> works
run --> runs
live --> lives
For verbs that end in 'o', 'sh', 'ch', 's' and 'x', we add 'es' to the verb form. For example;
go --> goes
wish --> wishes
watch --> watches
kiss --> kisses
fax --> faxes
For verbs that end in a consonant + 'y', we change the 'y' to 'i' and add 'es'. For example;
try --> tries
study --> studies
The table below shows the different forms of present simple :
Example Verb : Work | I / You / We / They | He / She / It |
| Positive | ... work. | ... works. |
| Negative | ... don't work. | ... doesn't work. |
Questions | Do ... work? | Does ... work? |
| Short answers | Yes, ... do. / No, ... don't. | Yes, ... does. / No, ... doesn't. |
For the verb 'to be' we use 'am', 'is', 'are' in the present simple. No auxiliary verbs are used in negative sentences and questions.
Verb: Be | I | You / We / They | He / She / It |
| Positive | I'm ... | ... 're ... | ... 's ... |
| Negative | I'm not ... | ... aren't ... | ... isn't ... |
| Questions | Am I ... ? | Are ... ...? | Is ... ...? |
| Short answers | Yes, I am. / No, I'm not. | Yes, ... are. / No, ... aren't. | Yes, ... is. / No, ... isn't. |
Present Simple Example Sentences :
Positive Examples of Present Simple :
Negative Examples of Present Simple :
Question Examples of Present Simple :
| Present simple example sentences | |
|---|---|
| Do you live around here? | |
| Yes, my number is 0773***0282. | |
| It's not much less... There is a slight difference! | |
| There is a robot in a kid's body, but he doesn't know he's a robot. | |
| But sometimes I feel guilty not being there! | |
| My cat is in the garden. | |
| I prefer red onions. | |
| What's your plan, Cate? | |
| There is no table for you, then! | |
| Maybe we can get something on the way to the station. | |
| Yes, I can hear you, but I don't understand! | |
| Umm, you can tell them it's our wedding anniversary. | |
| She could even have been her mum... Who knows? | |
| He is 70 and my mum is 64. | |
| Do you like them with or without the skin on? | |
| Do you have any brothers or sisters? | |
| Oh really? That's not good. | |
| I don't know really, what's yours? | |
| You can ask whatever you want to know. | |
| Yeah, you are right, it's more useful when you have less things. | |